
What Is Microsoft Azure, How Does It Work,
and What Services It Provide.
Cloud computing applications and platforms are rapidly expanding across all industries today, acting as the IT infrastructure that powers new digital businesses. These platforms and applications have transformed the way businesses operate and simplified processes. In fact, over 77 percent of businesses now have at least some of their computing infrastructure in the cloud.
While there are numerous cloud computing platforms available, two platforms dominate the industry. Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure are the two cloud computing behemoths.
While Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the most popular cloud computing platform, Microsoft Azure is the fastest-growing and second-largest. This article focuses on Microsoft Azure and what it is, as well as its services and applications.
Before delving into Azure, you should first understand what cloud computing is.
What is Cloud Computing?
Cloud computing is a technology that provides internet-based access to various computing resources. All you have to do is connect your computer or mobile device to your cloud service provider via the internet. Once connected, you have access to computing resources such as serverless computing, virtual machines, storage, and other options.
Essentially, cloud service providers have massive data centers that house hundreds of servers, storage systems, and other critical components for many different types of organizations.
These data centers are located in secure areas and hold a large amount of data. The users connect to these data centers to collect data or use it when required. Users can use a variety of services; for example, if you want to be notified whenever someone sends you a text or an email, cloud services can help. The best part about cloud platforms is that you only pay for the services you use, with no upfront fees.
Cloud computing can be used for a variety of purposes, including machine learning, data analysis, storage and backup, and streaming media content, among others. Here's an interesting fact about the cloud: all of the Netflix shows and movies are actually stored in the cloud. In addition, the cloud can be useful for developing and testing applications, automating software distribution, and hosting blogs.
Why is Cloud Computing Noteworthy?
Assume you have an idea for a revolutionary application that will provide a great user experience while also being highly profitable. For the application to be successful, you must make it available on the internet so that people can find it, use it, and spread the word about its benefits. However, it is not as simple as it appears to release an application on the internet.
To do so, you'll need a number of components, including servers, storage devices, developers, dedicated networks, and application security to ensure that your solution works properly. This is a large number of components, which can be problematic.
Purchasing each of these components separately is both costly and risky. To ensure that your application works properly, you would need a large amount of capital. And if the application fails to gain popularity, you will lose your investment.
On the other hand, if the application becomes extremely popular, you will need to purchase more servers and storage to accommodate more users, which will increase your costs. This is where cloud computing can come in handy. It has numerous advantages, including secure storage and scalability.
What exactly is Microsoft Azure?
Azure is a cloud computing platform and an online portal that allows you to access and manage Microsoft's cloud services and resources. These services and resources include storing and transforming your data based on your needs. All you need to access these resources and services is an active internet connection and the ability to connect to the Azure portal.
Azure should be known for the following:
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It was launched on February 1, 2010, significantly later than its main competitor, AWS.
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It's free to start and operates on a pay-per-use model, which means you only pay for the services you use.
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Surprisingly, 80 percent of Fortune 500 companies use Azure services for cloud computing.
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Java, Node Js, and C# are among the programming languages supported by Azure.
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Another advantage of Azure is its global network of data centers. There are 42 Azure data centers located around the world, making it the cloud platform with the most data centers. In addition, Azure plans to add 12 more data centers, bringing the total number of data centers to 54 in the near future.
Let’s now discuss what are the various Microsoft Azure services in the what is Azure article.
What are the Different Azure Services, and How Does Azure Work?
Azure offers over 200 services divided into 18 categories. Computing, networking, storage, IoT, migration, mobile, analytics, containers, artificial intelligence and other machine learning, integration, management tools, developer tools, security, databases, DevOps, media identity, and web services are examples of these categories.
Let's look at some of the most important Azure services by category:
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Virtual Machine for Compute Services
This service allows you to quickly create a virtual machine in Windows, Linux, or any other configuration.
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Cloud Computing
This service allows you to build scalable cloud applications. Azure handles everything after the application is deployed, including provisioning, load balancing, and health monitoring.
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Fabric of Service
The process of developing a microservice is greatly facilitated by service fabric. A microservice is an application that contains other smaller applications that are bundled together.
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Functions
You can use functions to create applications in any programming language. The best thing about this service is that you don't have to worry about hardware requirements when developing applications because Azure handles that for you. All you have to do is enter the code.
Networking
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CDN Azure
The purpose of the Azure CDN (Content Delivery Network) is to deliver content to users. It has a high bandwidth and can transfer content to anyone on the planet. The CDN service employs a network of servers strategically placed around the world to ensure that users have access to data as soon as possible.
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Route Express
This service allows you to connect your on-premise network to the Microsoft cloud or any other service via a private connection. As a result, the only communications that will occur here will be between the enterprise network and the desired service.
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The virtual network
The virtual network enables any of the Azure services to communicate privately and securely with one another.
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DNS on Azure
You can use this service to host your DNS domains or system domains on Azure.
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Disk Storage
This service gives you the option of storing your virtual machine on an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive).
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Blob Storage
This service is optimized to store a massive amount of unstructured data, including text and even binary data.
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Storage of Files
This is a managed file storage service that can be accessed via the SMB (server message block) protocol used by the industry.
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Storage of Queues
You can provide stable message queuing for a large workload using queue storage. This service is available from anywhere in the world.
Let us now look at the uses of Azure in this what is Azure article.
Why Should You Use Azure?
You might be interested in exploring Azure's various uses now that you know more about it and the services it offers.
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Application development: In Azure, you can build any type of web application.
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Testing: After successfully developing an application on the platform, you can test it.
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Application hosting: After testing is completed, Azure can assist you in hosting the application.
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Create virtual machines: With the help of Azure, you can create virtual machines in any configuration you want.
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Sync and integrate features: Azure allows you to integrate and sync virtual devices and directories.
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Collect and store metrics: Azure allows you to collect and store metrics to help you figure out what works.
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Virtual hard drives: These are virtual machine extensions that provide massive amounts of data storage.
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQS)
Q. Who should take this Azure Certification Course?
Ans. This Microsoft Certified Azure certification course caters to those who are hoping to enter the cloud industry.
The following roles and disciplines are ideal for this Azure course:
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Fresh graduates who are intent on taking the plunge into the job market
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Professionals with less than 2 years of experience who are working in either technical or non-technical job roles and want to shift to the cloud.
Q. What should I expect from this Azure certification course?
Ans.
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Industry-recognized certification: Upon successful completion of the Azure training program, you will earn an industry-recognized course completion certificate.
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Learn from the best in the industry: Learn core cloud computing concepts from leading industry experts with content structured to ensure industry-specific relevance
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Projects and career services: Available through industry partners
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Job assist services: Access job assistance services such as personalized CV, career fairs, and interview preparation for different job profiles
Q. Is Microsoft Azure Certification worth it?
Ans. Microsoft Azure certification validates your cloud skills and demonstrates your expertise for a given role. It can help you improve your earning potential and stay ahead of your peers. It is predicted that around 80% of all enterprise workloads will move to the cloud by 2025. This means that there will be high demand for professionals who can develop cloud applications and manage cloud infrastructures, and a Microsoft Azure certification will help you gain these skills.
Q. What are the Course Objectives?
Ans. This Azure training will make you an expert in Azure applications and architecture. Through this Microsoft-certified azure training program, you will understand the main principles of cloud computing and how they have been implemented in Microsoft Azure. Additionally, you will learn how to manage subscriptions, billing, and role-based access control regarding Azure users and groups; implement use cases and configuration options for Azure app services and app service environments; design an Azure app service web app by using Azure CLI, Powershell, and other tools; and manage security and identity for Azure solutions.
Q. What is the Difference between Azure and AWS
Ans. Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure are the leading cloud service providers today. Both of them offer a range of cloud services whether we want storage, hosting, compute services, or those related to advanced technologies like AI, machine learning, or the Internet of Things (IoT). A choice between the two depends more on business requirements, for example, organizations prefer Azure for PaaS and AWS for IaaS.
Q. Which Azure Certification is best for beginners?
Ans. Microsoft Azure certifications are divided into three levels - Foundational, Associate, and Expert. If you are a beginner, you can start with a Foundational level certification like Microsoft Azure Fundamental AZ-900 Exam.
Q. How much time does it take to get Microsoft Azure Architect Technologies AZ-303 certification?
The time taken to prepare for Microsoft Azure Architect Technologies AZ-303 certification is different for every individual. It depends on one’s prior knowledge and the intensity of preparation for the exam. If you are dedicated enough, it can take you 3 to 6 months for proper preparation.
Q. How many attempts are required for Azure Certification?
Ans. If you do not pass the Azure certifications exam the first time, you can retake it after 24 hours. A 14 days gap is applicable on all the attempts following the second one. Overall, a total of 5 attempts are allowed per year to pass the Azure exams.
Q. Do Azure Certification Expire?
Ans. Starting from June 2021, any role-based or specialty certification that you earn will expire after one year. Previously, these certifications had two years of validity.